Title: A Tale of Two Castles
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Published: 2011
Rating: 4

Review:
I was a huge fan of Gail Carson Levin when she wrote Ella Enchanted 14 years ago (not so much the movie staring Anne Hathaway) and her pseudo fairy tale retellings (Fairest, Ever) after that, so I might have been expecting too much from this one. Levin's hallmarks are still in this book, the plucky heroine, the charming supporting characters, the interesting ways magic is incorporated into the plot - not too overbearing. Still, this book seems to be missing the heart that made her earlier books so enjoyable, the characters' relationships with each other fall flat when compared to her earlier works, I'd describe them as interesting but nothing more. The ending wasn't a let down but it just didn't have the same effect as any of her previous books.

My recommendation: while this one is OK, read Gail Carson Levin's books in reverse publishing order - then they get better and better.